About the changes to bin collections consultation

We are consulting on possible changes to bin collections to Central Bedfordshire houses (not flats).

The options being considered include:

new approaches to fortnightly recycling collections

weekly food waste collection for everyone

collection of domestic waste (black bins) once every three weeks

optional year-round fortnightly collection of garden waste, which customers will be charged for.

Why make changes?

We collect and dispose of waste from 118,000 homes across Central Bedfordshire at a cost of around £14million a year. That amounts to around 7% of the council’s budget, and 9% of your council tax, which makes it one of the largest areas of expenditure for the council.

Our current bin collection contracts are coming to an end, so now is the ideal opportunity to review the service to explore options to increase efficiency and value for money; maximise the use of technology; and increase levels of recycling.

Recycling costs less

Not only is recycling the right thing to do for environmental reasons, it is also the most cost-effective way of disposing of our waste. It is four times cheaper to recycle the waste in your recycling bin than it is to dispose of the contents of your domestic waste (black) bin.

Some residents recycle a lot, and some less so. In fact, less than half (46%) of the waste we collect is recycled, so we want to help everyone to do more. The options for changes to your services are designed to help us all to increase recycling to at least 50% by 2020.

The options for change could save over £2million every year, which is money we can invest in other vital services, such as those for vulnerable adults and children.

The views of our residents are an important part of this review, which is why we are consulting with you on these options.

Options for change

We’re exploring some different options and your views are important.

Before we make a decision about any changes, we want to know what you think about each of the options, and what combination of options might work best.